As is well known to those skilled in the art, cable ties, or straps are used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires and cables. Cable ties of conventional construction include a cable tie head and an elongated tail extending therefrom. The tail is wrapped around a bundle of articles and thereafter inserted through the passage in the head. The head of the cable tie typically supports a locking element which extends into the head passage and engages the body of the tail to secure the tail to the head.
In practice, the installer manually places the tie about the articles to be bundled, inserts the tail through the head passage and then manually tightens the tie about the bundle. At this point, a cable tie installation tool is used to tension the tie to a predetermined tension. The tools of the prior art, although capable of tensioning and thereafter severing the excess portion of the cable tie, typically have several disadvantages therewith.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an installation tool with an improved tensioning mechanism.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an installation tool with an improved resistance mechanism that overrides the preset tension to provide variation in the tension applied to the tie or strap.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an installation tool with a handle that is easy to adjust.